Clocks fall back one hour across the European Union in the early hours of Sunday, October 25, 2026, ending daylight saving time for the year. Sleep medicine specialist Miguel Ángel Saiz says the extra hour on the clock does not automatically translate into an extra hour of quality rest, and he recommends a few simple habits in the days before and after the change to limit grogginess and disrupted sleep.
At 3:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 25, 2026, clocks in Spain move back to 2:00 a.m., according to the Spanish outlets Que.es and Cordópolis. The same one-hour shift applies across the European Union, since EU member states change clocks simultaneously on the last Sunday of October under a common directive.
Because the clocks move backward, the night of October 24 into October 25 gains an extra hour, and Sunday effectively runs 25 hours. People who keep their usual wake-up time get an additional sixty minutes of time in bed.
Why your body may not feel the 'extra hour' immediately
Miguel Ángel Saiz, a sleep medicine specialist, told the outlet Cordópolis that having sixty extra minutes on the wall clock does not automatically translate into sixty extra minutes of quality rest. He said the quality of sleep depends on when a person goes to bed and how their body responds, not just on what the clock says.
That the wall clock changes doesn't mean our biological clock does at the same pace.
— Miguel Ángel Saiz, sleep medicine specialist, via Cordópolis
Saiz said the circadian rhythm, which is regulated mainly by exposure to light and darkness, can cause temporary symptoms in the first few days after the change, including drowsiness in the early morning, waking up too early, or unexpected fatigue at unusual times. He added that for most people this discomfort is transitory and within the normal range of adaptation.
Steps sleep specialists recommend before and after the change
In the days before the change, if you are especially sensitive to time shifts, delay your bedtime and wake-up time by 15 to 20 minutes to ease the transition, Saiz advised.
Keep a stable wake-up schedule once the clocks have changed and aim for at least seven hours of sleep per night.
Get exposure to natural daylight soon after waking, which signals alertness to the brain and helps reset the body clock.
If you wake up earlier than planned in the days after the change, avoid intense artificial light until your usual start time.
Be cautious during the first days when driving or doing tasks that require concentration, since reaction times can be affected while the body adjusts.
Why the clock still changes despite years of EU debate
The European Parliament voted in favor of ending the twice-yearly clock change six years ago, according to the outlet Que.es, but no closure date was set at the time, and EU member states have not since agreed on a common position, including which permanent time each country would keep.
In October 2025, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said in a video posted on social media that he no longer saw a reason to keep changing the clocks and said Spain would push the EU to abolish the practice, according to European Newsroom. Sánchez argued that switching clocks twice a year disrupts biological rhythms and that the energy savings the measure was originally meant to produce do not materialize. He cited a 2018 European Commission survey in which 84% of respondents said they opposed the time change.
The outlet Que.es reported that the directive governing the clock change stays in place until EU countries reach an agreement to repeal it, and that disagreement over which time zone each country would adopt permanently has kept the twice-yearly change in place for now.
Questions
When exactly do the clocks change in October 2026?
Clocks in Spain go back from 3:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 25, 2026, according to Que.es and Cordópolis. The same one-hour shift applies across the European Union on the same date.
Do we gain or lose an hour of sleep in October?
Clocks fall back one hour, so the night of October 24 into 25 is one hour longer, giving most people an extra hour in bed if they keep their usual wake-up time.
What symptoms might the change cause in the days afterward?
Sleep medicine specialist Miguel Ángel Saiz says the shift can cause temporary symptoms such as early-morning drowsiness, waking up earlier than planned, or fatigue at unusual times in the days following the change, though he describes this discomfort as transitory and within the normal range of adaptation.
What can I do to adjust faster?
Sleep medicine specialist Miguel Ángel Saiz recommends keeping a stable wake-up time, getting natural morning light, avoiding intense light if you wake too early, and shifting your schedule by 15 to 20 minutes in advance if you are especially sensitive to the change.
Will the EU stop changing clocks eventually?
The European Parliament voted to end the practice six years ago, according to Que.es, but EU member states have not agreed on a common position to implement the change, so the twice-yearly shift continues as of October 2026 despite renewed calls from leaders such as Spain's Pedro Sánchez.
How the world is telling it
SpanishSpanish outlets frame the October change mainly as a practical household reminder (exact date and time) combined with health-oriented advice from sleep doctors, and connect it to the ongoing political debate led by Pedro Sánchez about ending the EU-wide clock change altogether.
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